Stubble softening device

ABSTRACT

A hair stubble softening device, including a pliable substrate; and, a first layer of grit material located on a first side of said pliable substrate. The grit layer comprises grit in a range of 300-800 grit for rounding the sharp edges on the ends of trimmed hair. The hair stubble softening device preferably includes a second layer of grit material located on a second side of said pliable substrate. Thus, a double sided, disc-shaped disposable unit is provided. In another embodiment, the invention further includes a handle assembly that is securely attachable to the pliable substrate. In this instance, the pliable substrate includes grit material on one side and fastening material on the other side. The pliable substrate attaches to complementary fastening material on the end of the handle assembly.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No.13/287,996, filed on Nov. 2, 2011, the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated herein by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to hair softeners, and moreparticularly to a hair stubble softening device.

2. Description of the Related Art

It has long been desired to provide an implement to soften the hair ofnewly shaved hair, particularly beards and goatees, to enhance intimatecontact with a partner. Generally, solutions to rough stubble includebeard conditioners, waxes and combs. A deficiency with facial hairconditioners and waxes is that the resulting softness of the goatee orbeard is temporary. Wax covers the hair temporarily. Conditioners softenthe hair temporarily. However, the sharp edges of each strand are stillsharp after these products wear off.

There are numerous patents that have issued that have involved beardrelated devices. These include:

U.S. Pat. Publcn. No. US 20060288595, entitled “SAFETY RAZOR FOR SHAVINGFACE, ARMS, AND LEGS” discloses a safety razor that includes a handleand a razor blade unit on top thereof, wherein the razor blade unit hasa movable skin contact member, the skin contact member having a leadingskin contact part and a trailing skin contact part, and during safetyrazor use, the leading skin contact part and trailing skin contact partcan swing to the front and back with respect to the razor blade body,thereby enabling smooth shaving, whether for a safety razor having noguard part or for a safety razor having a guard part similar to standardsafety razors.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,193,287, entitled “BEARD-SOFTENER”, discloses in a beardsoftener, a brush head including a cap having apertures in its rim, abrush back or block disposed within the cap and having slots adapted tocoincide with the openings of the cap rim, and a brush member disposedupon the brush back or block within the cap, a handle on the head havingextensions projecting through the apertures of the cap rim and into theslots of the brush back or block, and an adhesive securing the brushmember to its back or block, extending into the slots of the brush backor block to secure the handle to the head.

U.S. Pat. Publcn. No. US 20020157258, entitled “BIKINI TM BLADEAPPARATUS AND METHODS”, discloses an apparatus for reducing levels ofvisible hair present within the bikini line region, or the groin area ofa user. It is made up of at least a blade in a razor blader headassembly, which is otherwise conventional, except for having a cuttingedge ranging from at least about 0.50 inches to about 0.90 inches, incombination with conventional attachments, handles and refillable anddisposable specialized handle structures, with which it is compatible. Amethod of use and kit are likewise disclosed whereby at least one of auser's groin area and bikini line are rendered substantially free ofvisible hairs.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,270,635, entitled “BEARD-SOFTENER”, discloses a beardsoftener comprising a handle having prongs, provided with bearings, ahollow cylindrical roller having an imperforate annular wall and atrunnion at one end engaging one of said bearings and a filling spout atits opposite end forming another trunnion, and engaging the otherbearing, means for normally closing the filling spout, and a yieldingcontact sleeve supported around the periphery of the roller.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a broad aspect, the present invention is embodied as a hair stubblesoftening device, including a pliable substrate; and, a first layer ofgrit material located on a first side of said pliable substrate. Thegrit layer comprises grit in a range of 300-800 grit for rounding thesharp edges on the ends of trimmed hair. The hair stubble softeningdevice preferably includes a second layer of grit material located on asecond side of said pliable substrate. Thus, a double sided, disc-shapeddisposable unit is provided.

In another broad aspect, the invention further includes a handleassembly that is securely attachable to the pliable substrate. In thisinstance, the pliable substrate includes grit material on one side andfastening material on the other side. The pliable substrate attaches tocomplementary fastening material on the end of the handle assembly. Thehandle assembly may be hand operated or may include a rechargeable motorassembly to spin or vibrate the substrate and affixed grit layer.

Unlike conventional beard softening techniques the present inventiondoes not temporarily mask the source of irritation. The sharp edgesremain rounded until the next trimming.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the hair stubble softening device ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the hairstubble softening device, shown assembled.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the secondembodiment of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective of a third embodiment of the hair stubblesoftening device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and the characters of reference markedthereon, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a first preferred embodiment of thehair stubble softening device of the present invention, designatedgenerally as 10. The device 10 includes a pliable substrate 12, a firstlayer 14 of grit material located on a first side of the pliablesubstrate 12, and a second layer 16 of grit material located on a secondside of the pliable substrate 12. The layers 14, 16 utilize grit in arange of 300-800, preferably about 400.

The pliable substrate 12 is preferably formed of a foam material with adesired flexibility. The foam material may be, for example,polyurethane. Foam material having a thickness in a range of betweenabout 0.05 to 0.25 inches, preferably about 0.125 inches, may beutilized. Alternatively, the pliable substrate 12 may be formed ofplastic or sponge materials. Other suitable pliable materials may beutilized such as rubber, foil or cardboard.

The layers 14, 15 of grit material may comprise softening paper or clothwith particles of abrading materials embedded therein or bonded therein.Alternatively, the particles may be embedded or bonded directly to thepliable substrate 12. As is well known in the field of modern coatedabrasives, i.e. sandpaper, grit size refers to the size of the abradingparticles. As used herein the grit size refers to the United States CAMI(Coated Abrasive Manufacturers Institute) designation.

The substrate 12 and layers 14, 16 are preferably disc-shaped, withdiameters of between about 1.5 to 5.5 inches, preferably about 2.5 to 3inches. The outer periphery of the substrate 12 and layers 14, 16 maycomprise a raised outer edge of, for example, plastic or foam topreventing the device 10 from scratching surfaces if it is placed on,for example, countertops and sink surfaces.

Although the device 10 has been shown as having a layer of grit materialon each side it is within the purview of these inventive concepts thatdevice 10 have only a single layer of grit material on one side of thepliable substrate.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4 a second embodiment of the hair stubblesoftening device is illustrated, designated generally as 18. In thisembodiment, the device 18 includes a handle assembly, designatedgenerally as 20. The handle assembly 20 is securely attachable to apliable substrate 22 with a layer 24 of grit material. The substrate 22is preferably fastened by VELCRO® hook and loop fastening material 25,26.

As shown in these figures the handle assembly 20 comprises a conicalelement 28 having a narrow end and a wide end. A handle element 30 islocated at the narrow end. A base section 32 is located at the wide endand is configured to be securely attachable to the pliable substrate 22.The handle element 30 may be constructed out of metal, wood, plastic orother suitable rigid and resilient material.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the hair stubblesoftening device is illustrated, designated generally as 34. In thisembodiment, the handle assembly 36 includes a motor assembly 38 arrangedand constructed to spin or vibrate the pliable substrate 40 and itsassociated layer of grit material 42. As in the previous embodiment thepliable substrate and associated grit material are disposable. Theelectrical handle assembly 36 may be rechargeable or be plugged indirectly to an AC outlet.

During use, preferably using a circular motion, the operator presses thedisc against his face and rubs the grit material against his stubble toround (dull) the sharp edges from the ends of the newly trimmed hair.The operator presses the disc against his face sufficiently hard enoughto round the edges of the hairs but gentle enough as to not scratch hisface with the abrasive surface of the disc.

Other embodiments and configurations may be devised without departingfrom the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

For example, in other embodiments, such as described above with respectto FIGS. 1 and 2, where only a single layer of grit material on one sideof the pliable substrate is used, a strap may be affixed from one sideof the pliable substrate to the other side of the pliable substrate forsecuring the device to the user's hand or fingers. The strap may beformed of, for example, nylon, elastic, or other suitable material.

1. A hair stubble softening device, comprising: a) a pliable substrate; b) a first layer of grit material located on a first side of said pliable substrate, said grit layer comprising grit in a range of 300-800 grit for rounding the sharp edges on the ends of trimmed hair; and, c) a strap affixed from one side of said pliable substrate to another side of said pliable substrate, said strap used for securing the device to the user's hand or fingers during use thereof.
 2. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said first layer of grit material comprises sandpaper.
 3. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said first layer comprises grit of approximately
 400. 4. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said substrate is disc-shaped.
 5. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said is disc-shaped with a diameter in a range of 2-3.5 inches.
 6. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises foam.
 7. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said first layer of grit material is without perforations therein.
 8. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises sponge.
 9. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said first layer of grit material comprises sandpaper, without perforations therein.
 10. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said substrate has a thickness in a range of 0.05-0.25 inches.
 11. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said strap is formed of elastic material.
 12. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein neither said substrate nor said first layer of grit has perforations.
 13. The hair stubble softening device of claim 1, wherein said first layer of grit material is substantially flat.
 14. A method for softening a beard stubble, comprising the steps of: a) providing a device, comprising a pliable substrate; and, a first layer of grit material located on a first side of said pliable substrate, said grit layer comprising grit in a range of 300-800 grit; and, b) rubbing said first layer of grit material against the operator's stubble to dull the sharp edges from the ends of trimmed hair.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of utilizing a strap affixed from one side of said pliable substrate to another side of said pliable substrate, said strap used for securing the device to the user's hand or fingers during use thereof.
 16. A hair stubble softening device, comprising: a) a pliable disc-shaped foam substrate with a diameter in a range of 2-3.5 inches and a thickness in a range of 0.05-0.25 inches; b) a first layer of grit material located on a first side of said pliable substrate, said grit layer consisting of grit in a range of 300-800 grit for rounding the sharp edges on the ends of trimmed hair, wherein said first layer of grit material comprises sandpaper, without perforations therein; and, c) a strap affixed from one side of said pliable substrate to another side of said pliable substrate, said strap used for securing the device to the user's hand or fingers during use thereof. 